The arrests follow an FIR registered on June 25 after a preliminary report by the Special Investigation Team (SIT)

NEW DELHI: The eight people arrested in connection with the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya come from varied backgrounds, including a primary school teacher, a retired bank employee, a former automobile mechanic and a trusted aide of a senior Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust functionary.According to PTI, investigators allege that the accused, most of whom were hired as contract workers through an outsourcing agency, exploited their roles in the temple’s donation-counting system to siphon off devotees’ cash offerings over a period of time. Police are examining their financial transactions, assets and individual roles in the alleged conspiracy.Primary school teacher Avinash Shukla has emerged as the key accused in the investigation. Police sources told PTI that more than Rs 20 lakh in cash, foreign currency and jewellery were recovered from premises linked to him, the largest seizure among those arrested. During questioning, he allegedly described how cash was removed by exploiting CCTV blind spots and temporarily hidden inside washrooms before being smuggled out.Another accused, Anukalp Mishra, worked in the temple’s donation-counting unit through an outsourcing agency and reportedly earned around Rs 15,000 a month. Investigators are scrutinising assets allegedly linked to him, including a house worth around Rs 65 lakh, a farmhouse, a premium motorcycle and a booked SUV. Police claim to have recovered around Rs 16.8 lakh in cash during searches.Former automobile mechanic Lavkush Mishra, another contract employee, is accused of participating in diverting donations. Around Rs 14.25 lakh in cash was allegedly recovered during the investigation. Ramshankar Mishra, who handled cash inside the secure counting room, allegedly played a similar role, with police claiming to have recovered around Rs 7.3 lakh from searches linked to him.Police sources identified Ramshankar Yadav, popularly known as Tinnu Yadav, as one of the principal figures in the alleged conspiracy. Initially appointed as the personal driver of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai, he later became a trusted aide involved in temple administration and VIP management. Investigators allege he had unauthorised access to the keys of the donation-counting room and donation boxes, while recovered WhatsApp chats are also being analysed.The remaining accused include Manish Kumar Yadav, Tinnu Yadav’s nephew and a member of the donation-counting team; Subhash Chandra Srivastava, a retired bank employee engaged by the trust to supervise donation counting; and Karunesh Pandey, a contract worker responsible for opening donation boxes and counting cash. Police allege all three played roles in the conspiracy, with more than Rs 18 lakh in cash allegedly recovered during searches linked to Pandey.The arrests follow an FIR registered on June 25 after a preliminary report by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The trust is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the alleged irregularities and review the matter further. According to sources familiar with the probe, investigators are examining CCTV footage, financial records and digital evidence, while also looking into claims that some of the accused amassed assets disproportionate to their known incomes.